「教育の公共性」を探究する地方教育行政

―公共性をめぐる市民と専門職のポリティクス―

抄録

Local educational administration is a front-line system for coordinating personal requirements for policy implementation and rights protection based on government responsibility regarding education. In postwar Japan, the coordination was made by the Board of Education system. However, today, decision-making on educational matters is not restricted to the Board of Education. The following three points need to be clarified in order to think about how to secure the public nature of education. First, decision-making on education takes on an official character given from positions of responsibility. Second, it is in pursuit of common interest. Third, issues are considered in an open place accessible to everyone. This paper shows the conditions for shaping the public nature of education over the politics of citizens and professions in the context of local educational administration.

Postwar Japan designed a system to give the official authority of educational administration to the Board of Education, which maintained independence from political power. In addition, to explore the desirability of education, it was necessary to separate educational practice and administration from general politics and administration. However, when trying to form “the public nature of education”, the politicization of education should be aimed at while preventing the progress of the privatization of the educational subjects and policy. The politicization of education means promoting understanding of education. It requires a system of coordination of multiple, multi-layered decision-making units, which is different from the movement of aggregating individual opinions and aiming at homogenization.

This decision-making unit is not limited to the existing administrative divisions such as the prefectures ‘or municipalities’ government. Especially in rural areas, we should seek unique units to sustain, develop and grow in the community and school education in a long-term span. In all this, it is essential that professional leadership seeks relevance that is different from legitimacy based on the will of the people. A group of professionals with leadership needs to have a long-term perspective and cross administrative divisions. The expert group is considered to include all faculty members. When making decisions about education, they should not only listen to the voices of stakeholders but if they decide it is necessary for education, they should take actions to demonstrate and guide their own leadership. The action is a manifestation of intention based on the accumulation of practical experience and research findings in the place of dialogue.